Insurgency: Sandstorm

Insurgency: Sandstorm is a multiplayer tactical first-person shooter video game developed by New World Interactive and published by Focus Home Interactive. It was officially announced in February 2016, for Microsoft Windows. The PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions have gone through various delays. [2][3] The game is a sequel to the 2014 video game Insurgency. It was released on 12 December 2018 for Windows, with a delayed release for console, macOS and Linux builds of the game. However, in December 2019, it was announced that the Linux and macOS builds were cancelled.[4] The game received critical acclaim for its realistic gameplay, level design, sound design, atmosphere, graphics and fluid animations, but was criticized for its technical issues and optimization, and some lamented the cancellation of the story campaign.

Insurgency: Sandstorm
Developer(s)New World Interactive
Publisher(s)Focus Home Interactive
EngineUnreal Engine 4
Platform(s)
Release
  • Microsoft Windows
  • December 12, 2018
  • PlayStation 4, Xbox One
  • TBA[1]
Genre(s)Tactical shooter
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Gameplay
An in-game screenshot of the firing range in Insurgency: Sandstorm.

Similar to Insurgency, Insurgency: Sandstorm features a minimal HUD, lacking a health bar, ammunition count, or minimap. The Insurgency series has "slow" and realistic gameplay,[5] with moments of intensity. Weapons are accurate and extremely deadly, putting an emphasis on teamwork.[6] Improvements from Insurgency include better visuals, addition of fire support, night vision, addition of a player progression system, character customization, cosmetic unlocks, as well as larger maps and driveable vehicles.

Lead designer Michael Tsarouhas aimed to "find a balance" between military simulator games, such as ArmA and Squad, and action games such as Call of Duty, to provide both action and realism.[7]

At the beginning of a match, players can choose classes. Players have supply points to spend on weapons & modifications, impacting physical weight & speed. Players are separated into two teams: 'Security', based loosely on United States SOCOM and Kurdish YPG, including female fighters, and 'Insurgents', based loosely on ISIL, though both factions are fictionalized.[8]

Game modes

There are a total of six online game modes and one co-op game mode.

Online Game Modes
  • Push: The attacking team must capture three or four territorial objectives in sequential order. For every objective captured, more reinforcements are made available and more time is given to capture the next objective. The defenders must protect the objectives from the attackers. If the attackers are able to capture all three or four objectives, they must find and destroy the cache. At this point, the defenders only have one life to fend off the attackers. The game ends when either team runs out of reinforcements and players or time.
  • Firefight: Both teams must battle each other to capture all three territorial objectives. Each player only has one life and can only respawn after their team has captured an objective. A team wins when either the entire other team is eliminated, or all three objectives are captured.
  • Frontline: Described as a "two-way push mode", the teams have to capture objectives one by one and then destroy the enemy cache. Each team has to capture the enemy objective, while also defending their own. Every time an objective is captured, the capturing team will gain reinforcements waves and will respawn their team. This game mode was added in the 1.4 update.[9]
  • Domination: Similarly to Firefight, there are three objectives which can be captured at all times. However, teams receive victory points for each objective held, and the team which reaches the point threshold wins. On death the players respawn immediately on a random location on the map. This game mode was added in the 1.5 update.[10]
  • Competitive: Firefight in a 5v5 ranked queue, with higher equipment costs and different class structure.
  • Limited time playlist - Added in update 1.4 and intended as an iteration of the Arcade Mode. This playlist features a different game mode every week. The game mode is usually an already existing one, however modifications are added such as "bolt-action rifles only" or "drop a live grenade on death".

Cooperative Game Modes
  • Checkpoint: Players are grouped into one team and must complete mission-based objectives against AI. Every completed objective will grant fallen players another life.

Removed Game Modes
  • Skirmish: Like Firefight, there are three territorial objectives that both teams have to capture. Each team also has a cache to protect. If the caches of both teams are destroyed, the game will be played like Firefight. To win, the cache must be destroyed and all three objectives captured. As of patch 1.4.1 this game mode has been removed. The developers claim the Skirmish playlist hasn't been very popular with the player base, and removing it would decrease queue times, and would allow the developers to focus on maintaining the more popular game modes.[11]
  • Arcade: Arcade includes casual modes that are rotated out with updates, such as Team Deathmatch. This mode was replaced with "Limited Time Playlists" in update 1.4.

Reception

Insurgency: Sandstorm received acclaim from critics for its realistic gameplay and atmospheric sound design. VG247 rated Sandstorm as "one of the best multiplayer games of the year", giving repeated praise to the voice acting: "I’ll never forget the screaming."[12] Sandstorm received an 88/100 from IGN, writing "[it] nails the balance between realism and fun", though it criticized unclear map boundaries.[13] PCGamer rated the game 85/100, calling it "terrifying".

Sandstorm's optimization received some criticism, with Worth Playing writing "In the heat of an intense battle, your processor will also put out some heat."[14] A more critical review came from PCGamesN, who felt the game was "behind the times in both theme and looks" with "nameless locations with nameless conflicts", lamenting the removal of the planned story campaign, which would have featured "two Iraqi women crossing a war-torn land" - "It’s a shame to miss out on a potentially refreshing perspective."[15]

Insurgency: Sandstorm received "generally favorable" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic.[16]

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic(PC) 78/100[17]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Game Informer7.75/10[18]
IGN8.8/10[19]
PC Gamer (US)85/100[20]
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References
  1. "Insurgency: Sandstorm for PS4 and Xbox One delayed". Gematsu. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  2. "Announcing Insurgency: Sandstorm". New World Interactive. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
  3. "Insurgency Sandstorm Console Release Delayed Once More". PlayStation LifeStyle. 2020-06-19. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  4. "Steam :: Insurgency: Sandstorm :: State of Production 4". steamcommunity.com. 2019-12-09. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  5. "Review: Insurgency: Sandstorm balances realism with mainstream shooter gameplay". Gamecrate. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  6. "Insurgency: Sandstorm". Insurgency: Sandstorm. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
  7. Wright, Steven T.; Wright, Steven T. (2018-06-14). "'Insurgency: Sandstorm' Hunts for Balance Between Realism and Arcade Shooter". Variety. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  8. "Insurgency: Sandstorm Community Update - A Shift in Direction". Focus Home Interactive - Official Forums. 2018-01-03. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  9. "Insurgency: Sandstorm update for September 10, 2019 - Update 1.4 Now Live". SteamDB. September 10, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  10. "Insurgency: Sandstorm update for December 6, 2019 - Update 1.5 Now Live". SteamDB. December 6, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  11. "Insurgency: Sandstorm update for October 4, 2019 - Patch 1.4.1 Now Live". SteamDB. October 4, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  12. "Insurgency Sandstorm review - ear-splitting FPS is one of the best multiplayer games of the year". VG247. 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  13. Insurgency: Sandstorm Review - IGN, retrieved 2019-10-13
  14. "PC Review - 'Insurgency: Sandstorm'". WorthPlaying. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  15. "Insurgency: Sandstorm review – the definitive edition of an ageing war". PCGamesN. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  16. "Insurgency: Sandstorm". Metacritic. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  17. "Insurgency: Sandstorm". Metacritic. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  18. Bertz, Matt. "Insurgency: Sandstorm Review – What's Old Is New Again". Game Informer. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
  19. Insurgency: Sandstorm Review - IGN, retrieved 2019-07-07
  20. Iwaniuk, Phil (2018-12-18). "Insurgency: Sandstorm review". PC Gamer. Retrieved 2019-07-07.
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